Did you get a new boa constrictor, and you’re wondering about its age?
Are you wondering how to tell the age of your new pet?
Boa constrictors live a long time, up to 30 years in most cases, and their age also helps tell you how often they need to eat.
As an owner, age is important for this reason and others.
Common illnesses change as they age, so it’s important to know what to watch out for.
But many people don’t know how to age a boa constrictor.
We’re here to help with this guide on how to tell the age of a boa constrictor.
The best way to tell the age of a boa constrictor is to talk to the breeder who hatched him. Without this knowledge, you may tell the boas age by their length and weight and possibly by looking at their coloration. Boa constrictors grow their whole lives gradually, and as they age, they lose the brightness in the colors of their youth.
Check out the rest of the article for more details.
Table of Contents
How To Tell The Age Of A Boa Constrictor: 3 Different Methods
In this section, we’ll cover the three most common ways for how to age boa constrictors.
Used in combination, it’s possible to get a general idea of how old your pet is.
This isn’t an exact science, but It will give you an excellent place to start.
#1 Talk To The Breeder
This option may seem obvious, but it’s the only real way to get your pet’s exact age.
Boa constrictors aren’t just picked up and sent to pet stores.
The ones we keep as pets are bred by specific breeders.
If you’re able to, contact the breeder.
If you bought it directly from a breeder, they likely gave you the birthdate of your snake.
Even if you lost the information, breeders would keep good records on how old they are.
Reach out to them for help.
Boa constrictors aren’t coming in regular pet stores, but if you did get it from one of these, they might also know how old the snake is.
At the very least, they’ll be able to put you in contact with the breeders they got the boa from in the first place.
If neither of these is an option, take your boa constrictor to the vet.
They have more tools and information available to get an accurate reading.
#2 How To Tell A Boa Constrictor Age By Length And Size
The next best way to tell about the constrictor’s age is by size and weight.
As with many reptiles, Boa constrictors continue to grow throughout their whole lives.
Males are typically smaller than females.
This method, especially length, works great to tell the age of a boa constrictor until adulthood.
After adulthood, the growth rate slows down, and it becomes harder to tell their exact age.
Boa constrictors generally reach their adult length by age 3.
After this, they do continue to grow just slower.
Weight is another way to judge them by their age, but this method is a little trickier.
Weight is much more dependent on environmental factors such as diet, if they’re shedding, or if they’re in brumation.
Their diet fluctuates with age and illness.
In general, weight is also a good indicator of age because as they get longer, they also weigh more.
Check out this chart for growth from birth to adulthood.
| Age | Female Size (Length / Weight) | Male Size (Length / Weight) |
| Birth | 17″ – 20″ inches / 2 oz. | 17″ – 20″ inches / 2 oz. |
| 7 Months | 3′ feet / 30 lb | 3′ feet / 30 lb |
| 2 Years | 6′ feet / 60 lb | 5′ feet / 50 lb |
| 3 Years | 7′ – 8′ feet / 70-80 lb | 6′ – 7′ feet / 60-70 lb |
| 4 Years | 8′ – 9′ feet / 80-90 lb | 7′ – 8′ feet / 70-80 lb |
| Beyond | Gradual Growth | Gradual Growth |
#3 Look At Their Coloration
Once the snakes reach adulthood, it’s hard to tell the exact age by length and weight alone.
Another helpful trick is to look at the coloring of the boa constrictor.
Please note, this method is only helpful if you’ve seen or had pictures of this same boa at a younger age.
As with many other snakes, boa constrictors have more vibrant colors in their juvenile stages and earlier adulthood.
Over the years, their colors begin to lose their brightness.
This is hardly a good tool to use for exact age measurements, but if you have two snakes about the same size and one is brighter than the other, the brighter snake is probably younger.
How Long Do Boa Constrictors Live
A boa constrictor’s lifespan is primarily dependent on environmental factors such as a steady diet, proper habitat, and immediate care of illnesses.
As pets, the average life expectancy of a boa constrictor is 30 years.
The average range is from 20 to 40 years.
In some cases, boa constrictors have been known to live longer than this time frame, but it’s not common.
The best thing you can do for your pet to keep it alive as long as possible is to ensure the habitat markings are set precisely right and the diet is proper and steady.
Learn more about how long a boa constrictor lives.
Identifying the Years of a Boa Constrictor
Now you know a little more about how to tell the age of a boa constrictor.
As your snake ages, you need to change its diet and watch out for certain kinds of illnesses.
Telling the age of a boa constrictor by length and weight is helpful in this process, but it’s not ideal.
The best way is to contact the breeder from whom you got the boa constrictor.
Once you know their age, mark it down somewhere to not forget it.
